From Doctor To Princess?. Annie Claydon

had ever been anything written on it.

      It didn’t matter. If Nell had seen the reality of heart disease, and knew that it wasn’t all smiles and teddy bears, that wasn’t what today was about. She’d lost count of the amount of money that had been raised, and it seemed the auction was just the tip of the iceberg.

      A middle-aged man in a silk suit had approached their table, and Hugo had turned in his seat to talk to him. He pressed a folded cheque into Hugo’s hand.

      ‘Thank you, Henri. We’ll use this well.’

      The woman standing next to Henri spoke. ‘Next time, I insist on being the hostess, Your Highness.’

      Hugo hesitated. ‘You’re too kind, Justine. Think about it...’

      ‘No, I don’t need to think about it. I’ve thought about things for too long and it’s about time I did something.’

      ‘I’ll have Nathalie contact you, then. She’ll talk through all the options with you.’

      ‘I think I have an idea that will be perfect.’ Justine brushed off any other options with a wave of her hand.

      Henri smiled suddenly. ‘We must be going. It seems that my wife has a plan that needs my attention.’

      ‘You shouldn’t work so hard, Hugo...’ Justine frowned suddenly at Hugo and caught Nell’s eye, reverting to English. ‘Take him away, my dear. He is neglecting his responsibilities to you.’

      Nell smiled, not knowing quite what to say, and Hugo bade the couple goodbye. When he turned, his face was suddenly ashen and drawn. This was the first time that Nell had seen Hugo betray any weakness, and he was obviously tired.

      Nell leaned towards him, speaking quietly. ‘We’re going. Now.’ She injected as little room for argument into her tone as possible.